Friday, November 30, 2012

Sweet dreams are made of these…

The 100th year of Mills & Boon brings more spiced-up sweet nothings!

The man – broad-shouldered, brave and mildly brutish; the woman – meticulous appearance, meek and madly in love… typically the characteristics of Mills & Boon (M&B) protagonists. Although some deemed it as whimsical pulp fiction, others took fancy to these mushy tales. And in the same sphere of competition with literary writings and poetic musing, this gush of romanticism flowing through the pages of Mills & Boon did win avid readers, which makes it celebrate its 100th year and still going strong.

Started in 1908, these novels were meant for women, to take them to an imaginative, fantasy world and to render an exotic feast. I was in my pre-teens when I was introduced to my first copy in a series of Mills & Boon. The drama of varying emotions – attraction, confession of love, conflicts in relationship, the make-up kiss and happily-ever-after endings gripped me. While I realised that these novels were just a ‘feel-good’ whiff of a man-woman relationship, I had friends who found it difficult to let go of the grand image of men in their minds. Mrs. Ghosh, a professor of English at the University of Delhi adds, “I have come across many students who regularly read Mills & Boon and surprisingly, some have also presumed the image of their partner based on the male protagonist of these novels. I would not make a sweeping judgment that it is not right, but all I would say is that these characters are carved to perfection. It’s just fictional.” Recounting her conversations with such students, Mrs. Ghosh adds, “Such girls find it difficult to break through this image of men, which either leads to disappointment or rigidity in choosing a partner, because, in reality, a perfect person is hard to find!”

From a time when I would get my hands on an M&B whenever possible, I gradually moved to a phase when M&Bs stopped magnetising me.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Thursday, November 29, 2012

ISRAEL-RUSSIA WAR OF WORDS: SPAWNS GENERATIONS...LITERALLY

And on why mothers and grandmothers of this great nation play a critical role in the Israeli-Russia spar

Is it religious proximity? That doesn’t seem to be the case as Georgia is a certified orthodox Christian state compared to the predominantly Jewish Israel. While one can easily trace deep relations between Israel and Georgia – be their arms trade or the presence of Georgian Jews in Israel – what slips under the carpet magnanimously is the fact that important political leaders of Israel and Georgia are actually blood relatives. For information, the chairman of the Georgian parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee Lasha Zhvania has an Israeli Jewish mother. God rest her soul, the grandmother of scam-fam Israeli Ariel Sharon is buried in Georgia. The ubiquitously sweet Georgian defence minister Davit Kezerashvili, holds the citizenship of, god rest our souls, Israel!!!

Strangely, despite its Pravda-driven spiel [Pravda skims close to being certified a lunatic bandwagon, with the past month’s chief story, for example, being Condoleezza Rice’s Sexual Worries], the Russian political powerhouse actually is still a big supporter of Israel. It’s not just about the recent acceptance of a visa free regime between Israel and Russia, even Russia’s nuclear fuel supply to Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant – despite US rhetoric – is in fact an extremely clever move to dissuade Teheran from enriching its own fuel.

But as they say, there’s only this much that Putin can take, and there’s only that much that Israel can flirt with. Till the time Israel looks beyond US influence – and dare we say, even their mothers and grandmothers – and realises that Russia is actually on their side, this great nation might actually end up in creating their biggest foe in history! For hell hath no fury as Putin scorned, and it doesn’t require Einstein to know that!


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

SOMALIA: PIRACY WOES

Scared marine companies don't report ordeals; sloppy tracking a boost to Somalian pirates

A ransom is supposed to have been paid for most ships that have been released so far from Somalia. Prompt action by the US and French navies has led to some releases. The only ship that was released through the action of the local government (of the state of Puntland, Somalia) was a UAE flagged vessel. Sources in UAE claim even that operation had ransom involved.

“With patrols on by the world’s major powers, the only apparent lacuna seems to lie in tracking the pirates,” says a UAE-based security expert, who declined to be named. "Placing robust tracking systems has helped Malaysian and Indonesian governments control piracy on their coastlines," he emphasises.

Crime has a despicable facade but lacks roots. Organised crime has a polished exterior, but its fangs have the caliber to fight the most sophisticated defence. With a governance vacuum, Somalian pirates have upgraded themselves from the category of looters to formidable, organised criminals. Unless the law organises itself similarly, this travesty of justice will only get worse.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Monday, November 26, 2012

REFORM: POSTAL SERVICE

Privatisation will benefit India Post and also uplift the rural economy

Well, before presenting the proposal in detail, let’s take a look at the journey of privatising state-run postal systems in developed countries. Japan realised the need to privatize its state run postal service in 2005. Post office in Japan plays a far more crucial role for the country than just mail handling. It is one of the biggest banks and life insurance companies of Japan. Almost eighty percent households use post office for their banking transactions and two-thirds of Japanese are insured by Japan Post insurance. The state run Japan Post was also in losses like India Post, but after privatisation and inclusion of key financial services, it witnessed growth and profits. Similarly, Deutsche Post and Netherlands Post (more known as TNT) started excelling after bringing corporatisation and professionalism in organisations. They sold a portion of their share in public to raise funds and increase public & private participations but government remained the majority shareholder. Many private delivery companies have bought shares in these erstwhile government owned service providers. It is notable that Deutsche Post and TNT are currently among the biggest postal service providers in the world. Many European countries including Britain, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Sweden and Finland have either initiated privatisation or taken the issue into serious consideration.

Coming to India, the vast reach of India Post, especially in rural India, shows plenty of promises for itself as well as for the economy. Indian Post service has also undertaken banking services and insurance but has not been very successful. Through reforms, it can raise funds and through public & private participation, sell a portion of its share to public or any private courier service providers. It needs to be given complete autonomy and should be corporatised completely. It can run its banking and insurance services in a full fledged manner, while keeping its primary operations intact. It’s Postal Savings bank is an example. Unsurprisingly, it has opened and is maintaining over 11 crore accounts with an outstanding balance of Rs.1.55 trillion, almost half of the State Bank of India’s (SBI) turnover.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Sunday, November 25, 2012

Bad drivers? Worse buyers!

B&E’s Savreen Gadhoke argues why manufacturing cars for the fairer sex does not make for a good business plan in India... [and the lady is serious!]

If women are bad drivers, men are worse! But statistically, that sweet correlation – however much I personally might want to the contrary – does not apply to car purchases. And probably, this is the reason why many women, especially in India, are not seen driving cars [Of course metros are an exception; though even in these areas, purchase patterns of women are no relative matches to those of men]. As a matter of fact, there aren’t many cars that are manufactured exclusively for women in India. And if you’re a car manufacturer, about to tempestuously experiment with a plan for the fairer sex, perish the thought Jim, women in India more often than not take the back seat!

Although Henry Ford was (in)famously focused on keeping women in the passenger seat, Ford had in reality started marketing cars for women way back in 1912. But that was the US. Graeme Dawson, Australia’s top market historian, shows how way back in 1968, women for the first time outnumbered men amongst new applicants for Victorian drivers’ licenses. But that was Australia. A 2006 Chinese survey showed how “Chinese women car buyers have grown to a record 32% of the total buyers,” with the top ten models being bought by them being “Chery QQ, Honda Fit, Nissan Tiida, Chevrolet Spark, VW Polo, Suzuki Swift, Chevrolet Sail, Peugeot 206, Audi A4, FAW Vizi (the redesigned model of Toyota Yaris).” But then, that’s China! Despite driving by woman being banned in Saudi Arabia, government owned Saudi Aramco’s last year’s research shows how “car ownership among Saudi women climbed to 60 percent between 2003 and 2006!” You got it! That’s Saudi Arabia!


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Saturday, November 24, 2012

Bus(c)h: SOLD!!!

20% premium makes a great sell...

Did you miss this space in B&E’s July 24, 2008 issue? Well, for the uninformed, B&E had advised using sound research that Anheuser-Busch (AB) should not accept the “fair-value” $65/share takeover offer made by InBev during the first week of July and that it should wait for the premium to rise, which InBev did!!! There was another piece of advice – that AB should wait for “some weeks” till the offer price shoots northwards and the premium level touches about 20% (considering these low liquidity times].

Cut to the present and we have the “increased fair value” of $70/share or $52 billion takeover from InBev being accepted by AB on July 18, 2008 (2 weeks later), marking a premium of 18.23% as compared to its July 6, 2008 Mcap of $43.98 billion! The new company would be known as Anheuser-Busch InBev.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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RCOM, MTN: END OF TALKS

Discontinuing talks with MTN will not prove to be a long term setback for RCOM

MTN on its part has made it clear that it would continue to expand in more emerging markets, and plans a subscriber base of 300 million by 2012 (they currently have 66 million subscribers). There are speculations that MTN may target Mexico’s America Avil or a company in the Latin America region.

On the other hand, RCOM would have had a definite advantage with MTN as it already has a optical fibre network of FLAG in that region. But RCOM’s existing expansion plans hold it in good stead. Harit Shah, telecom analyst, Angel Broking, opines, “It might put the global expansion plans of RCOM on the back foot for some time but I don’t think there would be any long term impact.” RCOM has always been an aggressive player with a keen appetite for all probable targets so we may soon hear about a new ‘love’ interest. Also, given that RCOM has already announced plans to roll out its own GSM network in India, it’s less likely that it would be looking for acquisitions in the Indian market. Instead, RCOM is expectedly scrutinising options in the other developing markets such as Middle East and Latin America to add value to its existing business. And, with the GSM foray coming up, Anil Ambani already has a lot up his sleeve at the moment.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Thursday, November 22, 2012

Brands & Retail shares his present stance and future plans

J. Suresh, CEO, Arvind Brands & Retail shares his present stance and future plans. A B&E exclusive...

B&E: Do you also manufacture for these other franchisee brands?

JS: Apart from Gant, we manufacture for all the brands that we franchise. Gant does its own manufacturing but for the remaining brands we produce. I think as a manufacturer there are advantages of having your own plant and you are not dependent on any other to meet the market demand.

B&E: What’s your key strength?

JS: Our pricing and positioning have been very strong against domestic brands. In apparel business investing in front-end and targeting the proper audience matters a lot, and even we are planning to invest more in front-end like retail. We have big plans with our retail arm MegaMart where we would be retailing other brands also. We would be opening more than 100 stores for MegaMart and EBO for our other brands also like Arrow, for which we are opening 70 stores by the end-2008. We want to become a $1 billion company by 2012.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Dearest to fight the bulge and stay healthy

It’s time to stop blaming one’s work schedule for those increasing waistlines, and join hands with your nearest and dearest to fight the bulge and stay healthy.

There can be plenty of imaginative ways of working out together, and the truth is that we do them all the time. Except if we’re more conscious about them, we’re more likely to do them more frequently and with more interest. One could plan biking together or just put on some great music and dance with each other! And might we add, family workouts surely are a better way of bonding than over a lavish dinner at a crowded hot-spot of the city!

Adventure in your dna?

Adrenaline rush is no more the privilege of film stars and stunt men alone, rather it is a growing phenomenon in the lives of many a common man. People these days are looking out for action-packed vacations that are by far even more hectic than a regular day at work! “The trend is definitely towards outdoor vacations and active holidays compared to the four-walled five-star getaways. More and more families prefer outdoor camps while couples prefer long expeditions or treks together. Needless to say that lone individuals also seeking some action are present in each kind of group,” says Vaibhav of Aquaterra Adventures. Started in the year 1995, Aquaterra made it to the National Geographic’s list of world’s best adventure travel outfitters in the year 2007. It is the growing popularity of India, land of the mighty Himalayas and very many lofty rivers that a lot of people from the USA, UK and Europe plan their adventure getaways here. While most of the Indian population is “inclined towards river trips due to their proximity to the rivers, especially in northern India,” there are those who go for impromptu vacations for diverse activities.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

SUSHIL MODI: VOTE OF CONFIDENCE

Deputy CM Sushil Modi wins a reprieve, albeit temporary, in Bihar

The number of those wanting to get ministerial berths far outstripped the portfolios that were on offer. BJP legislators say that Modi is too much of a Nitish Kumar man and has ignored the interests of the party. Prime BJP dissident and legislator, Satyadev Narayan Rai, told B&E: “Sushil Modi is not a mass leader. He does not understand the party at its grassroots. He does not take the party along in any decision. Most decisions of his are unilateral.” Political observers say that Modi was saved due to a combination of reasons, which includes the compulsions of coalition politics and Modi’s closeness to party supremo, L. K. Advani. The critical question here is: how long will he survive? Not for long, because standing against him are perennial BJP dissidents, Murli Manohar Joshi and Kalraj Mishra, both from neighbouring UP, who have an active interest in keeping the pot boiling. It is equally certain that those opposed to Modi have only lost a temporary battle. The war in the Bihar BJP could have just begun.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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AMAR SINGH: CONGRESS-SP

 Left is peeved with Amar Singh for taking SP closer to Congress

Reflecting the current frostiness between the two is Amar Singh, who has stated two things clearly. One, the Bill in its present form is unacceptable. Two, he has charged the Left with changing policies to suit its convenience.

Left leaders have also not taken too kindly to recent Congress invitations for SP leaders to attend celebrations linked to UPA government’s four years in office. Interestingly, this is the first time in four years that SP leaders were invited to any UPA function. With General Elections due next year, it would appear that the Congress has no choice but to entertain both SP and the Left. The imperatives of real politics make it incumbent upon the Congress to keep the option of a possible alliance with SP open. Especially when SP appears to be getting bigger after the UP unit of the Janata Dal (Secular) decided to merge with it recently.

If the current impasse between the two continues after the General Elections, there is little doubt that the concept of a Third Front would be delivered a body blow. Something that the Left is not going to be too amused by.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Sunday, November 18, 2012

Why Saxons hate Porsche!

Piëch would find the Saxon barrier quite unfathomable

As Stuttgart-based Porsche fires all cylinders to gain majority control over Volkswagen (VW) AG, Chairman Ferdinand Piëch of VW finds himself in a funny situation. Being the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, the legendary designer of the Beatle and the founder of sports car major Porsche, he surely has his emotional reasons to try and allow Porsche to take controlling stake of VW, Europe’s largest auto group that owns nine separate brands – including Audi, Bentley and the likes – and made close to $1.5 billion in sales during the first quarter this year.

Porsche already owns a 31% stake in Volkswagen and wants to have a majority stake in VW in order to have access to its liquidity and to secure an uninterrupted supply of parts. Also, as per Christian Breitsprecher of Sal Oppenheim comments to B&E, “Porsche is interested in Volkswagen because it wants to have access to the latter’s scales and volumes.” But isn’t 31% enough to take over control?


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Enter Gilani

Nothing could please the country's friends more

Pakistan is rejoicing about something that can worry only the mullahs or Uncle Sam’s trusted nominee: the President-by-proxy Pervez Musharraf. The general-in-civvies who would be the country’s permanent CEO. Yes, the country where the military has traditionally been regarded as “the largest and most powerful party” finally has a leader whose immediate goal is to push the soldiers back to the barracks – and to make sure they stay there!

Happily, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has also pledged to restore the judges whom Musharraf ousted, because they would not consent to recognise his illegal presidency. Asif Ali Zardari, the slain Benazir Bhutto’s widower, himself had been far less clear on the ticklish subject of what should be done with Musharraf. Indeed it would have come as no surprise had even Benazir, having benefited from the power-sharing deal with the canny Musharraf, been eventually compelled into ‘General Retreat’!


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Saturday, November 10, 2012

PFIZER & MERCK: CEO MIRROR

As lawyer Kindler loses court battles, army man Clark strengthens his defences with a flanking strategy

Instead, Kindler is showing more interest in drugs, which are still in the mid-stage trial process and do not have the capability to replace Lipitor. According to a report by Morgan Stanley Research North America, Kindler’s decision to not enter into any mega deal following the disruption and negative impact to R&D productivity due to the last two acquisitions is encouraging. But in doing so, Kindler has also dismissed another alternative to increase Pfizer’s product pipeline. Interestingly, as Kindler was announcing these plans on March 5, 2008, stock prices of Pfizer fell at a 52-week low on the same day, hitting a low of $21.80.

If one had to rate the performance of the two CEOs, it was apparent from their compensations in 2007. Where on one hand Clark got compensation valued at $14.7 million in 2007, Kindler was just a little behind and received compensation worth $12.6 million the same year, but considering the fact that both marked an increase of 10% and 80% respectively from 2006 summarises their performance. Most of Clark’s compensation came from the value of stock and options granted to him in 2007, out of which $8.23 million was by virtue of three grants made in 2007, according to the proxy filing with the SEC. As for Kindler, his bonus, too, was reduced to $3.1 million, from $3.3 million in 2006.

The dissimilarity between the two CEOs is also evident in the reaction of the stock market towards their performance. While Pfizer’s stock price was languishing at $20.57 on March 17, 2008 (a drop of 21.2% since Kindler assumed office), Merck’s stock price was at a robust $41.85 as on the same date, which represented a rise of about 21.3% since Clark took over the baton.

So, well… while the legal beagle is finding himself helpless against Pfizer’s expiring patents and increasing competition from low-cost generic drugs, the army man has proved to be more than his weight in gold for Merck, with his visionary capabilities and swift, effective decision making abilities. For crisis-ridden pharma companies, there are definitely a few points to take home.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Thursday, November 8, 2012

In comes Stanford John...

Donahoe has his own ideas to take Whitman’s legacy to the next level

Very rarely does one come across leaders, who not only dramatically transform fortunes of companies, but most interestingly, come on board with a pre-decided tenure! One such leader who beautifully joins the league is the sterling 52-year-old CEO of eBay Inc. – Margaret C. Whitman. When she took on the scepter of CEO in 1998, she made it very clear that a decade is a fairly good time for a CEO at the helm of a company. And her resignation comes precisely after ten years on March 1, 2008. “It’s important that new perspectives & new eyes come to the company. It’s tough to stay fresh, no matter who you are,” admitted Whitman on January 24. She will be replaced by John Donahoe, currently President of eBay Marketplaces, effective March 31, 2008. Ironically, the contrast between the two perhaps could not have been more striking, far beyond the Harvard-Stanford face-off (Meg is a Harvard alumnus & John is a Stanford graduate).

While Whitman has almost always tackled corporate growth issues using macro-strategies, John – who was the worldwide MD of Bain and Co. for five years before joining eBay in 2005 – has more or less focused on micro-process issues. Consider this. When, in 1998, eBay suffered debilitatingly due to lack of funding, Whitman initiated a massive IPO to fund its expansion plans. Her acquisition of online payment service PayPal in 2002 for $1.5 billion gave a much required boost to eBay, & consolidated its stranglehold in online auction business. In 1998, the 30-employee-strong eBay had a meagre 5,00,000 registered users. Today it has a mind numbing 83.2 million active users & $7.7 billion in revenue. With 15,000 employees & growing, it is the world’s largest e-commerce site.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
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L. K. Advani’s dumbing down

BJP’s strongman opts for a face-lift to achieve his ultimate political dream of being India’s PM

The BJP’s parliamentary board, which ratified L.K.Advani’s candidature as the Prime Minister in waiting, is in the throes of another ticklish query: while the party, allies and cadres accept Advani as their supreme leader, will the country, and more specifically Muslims, do the same when the time comes? Therefore, members of the parliamentary board have asked the state BJP chiefs to carry out an internal survey in various states for the consumption of their cadres and other party leaders. The question they have to address: what can be done to reform Advani’s hardline image and steps that need to be taken to improve and liberalise his image.

This operation is to be headed by BJP vice president, Mokhtar Abbas Naqvi. His brief: to find out why Advani, who has a hardline Hindutva image, has been unable to make an impact on the common mass of public in the same way as Sonia Gandhi or Atal Behari Vajpayee. The question rankling the BJP top brass is despite conducting five rath yatras between 1990 and 1997, Advani is not quite considered a man of the masses. At several meetings of the parliamentary board, office bearers have told state chiefs that Advani’s name and public programme, if any in the state, should be given wide publicity. His pronouncements and statements needed to be played up and his entire programmes need to be highlighted well.

But like most leaders who have aspired to lead India, Advani is very keen to undergo an image change, from being a leading Hindutva factionalist to a moderate leader with middle-of-the road views and wide acceptability. The man chosen to conduct this face change is Naqvi, a Shia, who BJP leaders say has acceptability amongst Muslims.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
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